Kite
by Borath
Summary: Kaiba finds Yami standing on the ledge of a bridge in the middle of the night with no idea what's driven him to do so. But things are not always what they seem. Parody of a million angst and eventual romance fics
1. Yami

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, and for once I have no witty anecdote to add to that sorry statement.

A/N: I was musing over the clichéd fics of this fandom earlier, how so many are sickeningly alike and how there seem to be a few 'staple plots' that most fics seem to stem from.  So I decided to take one of these overused plots and put it on its head.  I don't know how successful I was, but I got a fairly satisfying one-shot out of it so I shan't quibble.

NB: Kaiba may be a teeny bit OOC in this but I'm hoping I can get away with it. ;p

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**Kite: Chapter 1**

(Kaiba's POV)

It's been raining all day, not that I really had time to notice it.  Three smaller companies are in the middle of merging into my own, and work has come as close to a living Hell as it ever has.  Leaving was bliss.

Driving my car myself, I find the darkness and the steadily lessening rain soothing.  Knowing that I am cocooned in the vehicle from the harsh elements outside is a comfort, and I rub my thumbs against the steering wheel unconsciously as I glance about myself again.

I'm half way home, crossing the bridge over the large river that runs through Domino when I see someone up on the ledge.  They've obviously climbed up there and are stood perilously close to the edge.  There's not other car on the road at this hour and I slow down notably, staring as the person becomes clearer in the lights from my car.

Something clenches when I recognize the figure as Yami.

It's unsettling seeing him staring so intently over the edge, seemingly not noticing as I pull up near him.  I watch him for a few moments but he seems distracted, and it frightens me.  I've long held a grudge against him, feeling that his title and unrelenting smugness mocked me, but I've always respected him.  And now to see him so suddenly broken, contemplating…  I don't like to think it.  No matter what my feelings towards him, I can't leave him like this.  I doubt anyone knows he's here other than me.

Slowly, I get out of the car and walk to the footpath, giving him a fair amount of space.  I don't want to startle him or intrude on whatever this is.  I have no idea why he's doing this but to get him down from there without doing something stupid, I'm going to need to tactfully find out.  Or at the very least display some genuine concern.

I call out to him, my hands tightening into fists when he briefly looks over his should at me.  He looks so far away, so distracted, and it's obvious that he doesn't like me being here.  

That's beside the point.  I'm not going to let him hurt himself, no matter how hurt his pride is going to get over me being the one to do that.  I think I should start slow; see if I can get him to talk.  I might be able to help.

"Yami, what are you doing?" 

He glares at me with a sigh that I barely hear, looking irritated and tired.  His eyes are sharp, alight in an almost deadly way.

"Go away Kaiba," he says before looking back down over the ledge.  He's leaning forward a bit now as well, vertigo perhaps taking a firmer hold.

I'm not going to listen to him.  If I can just get him away from the side and off the ledge, I'll be able to talk to him rationally.  Seeing him this close to intentionally plunging into the freezing river is throwing me off.  I can do little when I'm this afraid to approach him let alone say anything that might set him off.

"No, not until you come down.  Why the hell are you doing this?" 

My emotions carried my voice a little too much for my liking there, and Yami doesn't answer for a long time.  Maybe he could hear the fear in my voice.  Maybe it unnerved him.  Maybe he'll realise that someone cares and come down.

"I'm doing it for Yugi."  

Jesus, this is worse than I thought.  I can't begin to imagine what he's thinking right now…  I've always thought of Yami as evil, dark, true to his very name.  Maybe that's sunken in and he's angry with himself, guilty.  Feels like he's going to taint or destroy Yugi.  

The kid's pure; anyone with eyes can see that.  Yami's his self-appointed guardian, so he maybe he's gotten it into his head that he's threatening Yugi with his very presence.  I really don't know what to do with that.

"You don't need to!" is the best I can come up with.

 "Yes, I do."  

The finality frightens me more than seeing him here has.  He's really serious about this, really considering suicide, and I can't do anything but speculate and shout at him!  He's leaning forward marginally now as well, his hands splayed at his side to keep his balance somewhat stable.  The wind's strong though and I don't know how much longer his willpower is going to hold out if he'd debating living this severely.

"No, Yami– I… I don't understand why…  I-I want to help."

Another long pause, silence stretching between us before snapping with his voice.  He sounds so pained, so alone.  It tears at me.  I didn't know I could care this much about someone beside Mokuba.  These are extreme circumstances though.  I can't watch someone die.  I don't know if I could do that.

"You can't help me."  

He sounds certain, but I don't want to be sure about that just yet.  Maybe he just needs someone to listen to him.  He's the leader of the group, the one with all the responsibility who always takes charge and knows exactly what to do.  We're more alike than he seems to think.

"Let me try.  At least talk to me."

He doesn't move, doesn't respond at all.  The wind pulls at his hair again, whipping them forward and about his face.  He makes no move to raise his hand to them.  I'd worry about his safety even more if he did that.  Even if he did decide not to jump, that close to the soaked ledge the wind could make the decision for him.  

He needs to get down.  I could take him home with me, get something hot into him and see if he wants to talk.  Anything to get him off that ledge.

"Please Yami, I can't just leave you here." 

His shoulders tighten at that, his voice becoming sharp and dismissive.

"Go away Kaiba."

Looking away at the tone, I disgust myself by considering doing just that, but when I look up at him again and see that he's moved yet closer to the ledge and is leaning over even more, I know that I cannot.  His hand lightly touches the vertical pole running to the suspension cables to keep him upright, but his body is still too far over the ledge for comfort.

These thoughts take but a second and I'm halfway through climbing silently up the ledge by the time I finish them.  Approaching him cautiously, I stop a meter behind him, prepared to grab his arm if he decides that I'm too close now and jumps.  It's gotten too serious to be overly cautious now.  Too dangerous.

I try again to understand, to empathise, but my mind comes up blank.  All I can see is that he hates me and has no reason to trust me when he's at his most vulnerable.

"Yami, I know that…  well, we've never really gotten on."

He jerks and I notice with a cold feeling that the toes of his boots are now over the ledge.  I need to put a hand on him if just for my own sanity.  I don't care if he doesn't like it; I need to know that I can get a grip if he falls.

"It's just…"

He shrugs my hand off his shoulder and I hear his boots squeak dangerously on the metal of the ledge.  I keep my hand hovering just above the material of his jacket, not prepared to take away that support just yet.  Looking down at the river that suddenly seems miles below us, I swallow heavily and steal myself to just winging this.  I've never been in this situation before and I've not been this frightened for a long time.  The best I can do is wing it, keep a hand close to him and hope for the best.

"I understand, how hard it can all be.  You've got Yugi to look after, a reputation to uphold and maniacs coming at you from all sides trying to take your title."

His expression changes a little, the frown smoothing out and the intensity in his eyes fading a little.  It looks like he understands what I'm saying, but he's still too close to the brink for my liking.

"But it's not worth your life."

The lines around his eyes tighten again but it isn't a frown this time.  I don't know what it is, what he's feeling, and I probably never will know.  It feels a little safer now though, but it's not over yet.

"Please, just come down and I'll take you home."

He shakes his head.  "I'm not going home."

Alright, too fast, I understand.  If I can get him off the ledge at least I'll feel better.  I think I will be able to think straighter when I'm not as worried about him jumping as I am now.  I'll just coax him down.

"Will you come down then?  Then we can talk about where you want to go."

He finally turns his head to look at me, staring up into my eyes before his gaze drops, staring at something past me.  He seems to make a decision, twisting his body away from the expanse of air as he resigns himself to it and walking back towards the road.

I follow him down, moving around to stand in front of him by the car.  I want to know what he wants to do.  I'm not as worried now but I'm still deeply concerned.  This is so out of character for him that it's almost incomprehensible.  Though maybe he's felt like this for a while, and tonight was just the breaking point.

I must have been watching him too much for a frowns at me.  I catch myself and clench my fists again uncertainly.  He must already feel wretched; I don't want to make it worse for him.  I want to help him, if only a little.

"Is there anywhere I can take you?"

He glances at the car and then back at me before his hands glide into his pockets and he walks around me, heading in the direction that I had been driving in.  "I just need to get off this bridge."

Oh, thank the lord!  Relief as I've rarely experience before floods through me, and I find myself turning to watch him begin to walk away from me.  I just want to make sure he does actually make it off the bridge.  I might follow him surreptitiously just to check that he gets home in one piece.

Suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, he breaks into a sprint, running blindly as fast as he can.  I have no idea what's made him do this, but the sudden mood-swing has me going back to being severely unnerved again.  Shouting to him to no avail, I take off after him.

He only runs for a few seconds and before I know what's happened he's suddenly stopped dead.  I've gained too much momentum to stop myself as suddenly and end up running into him, flooring us both.  He's a lot smaller than I am and I get off of him immediately, carefully, my hand going to the small of his back worriedly.

Still on his stomach, he brings his hand to his face and rubs at his eyes with his sleeve.  His body shudders a little, and I can only guess that he's crying.  That's probably why he was running; he didn't want me to see.  Christ, the idiot's so proud he doesn't want me to see him cry.  

I begin to move my hand in slow circles on his back, attempting to sooth him.  He jerks again at the motion, his hand still near his face.  He cries out this time, out of frustration, despair, I can't fathom.  I dearly hope I never end up in a situation where I have to find out.

He manages to work himself into a sitting position, his back still to me.  He's shaking more violently now, a hand on the ground to keep him upright.  The ridiculousness of it suddenly strikes me hard: I'm letting him indulge his pride at the risk of him falling even deeper into depression.  I won't let him carry this on. I won't indulge him.   

Pulling him into my chest with only a little struggling on his part, I pick him up smoothly and carry him back to the car.  His eyes are red and his cheeks moist with what can't be rain.  Shivering and squirming futilely in my arms, he doesn't speak as I ease him into the back seat of the car.  

He's wet and cold in addition to being several upset and confused, so I fetch a thick blanket from the boot of the car.  Wrapping it around him carefully, making sure to encase him within the material fully, I am pleased to see him nod a thanks to me.  

Returning to my original place behind the wheel, I look at him through the rear-view mirror.  He seems to have accepted that I'm taking him in this car no matter what he says for he pulls the blanket tighter around himself and fidgets until he is comfortable.

"Do you want me to take you back to mine?  We can talk, have something to eat?"

My offer is genuine; I'm afraid to leave him at the moment.  If he was back at the mansion with me, I could keep an eye on him, talk all this through.  Hell, I could arrange a meeting with a shrink if it would help.

"No, to Yugi's will be fine."

Nodding, I return my eyes to the road and pull away.  I release a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding when we come off the bridge, glancing back in the mirror to check on Yami.  He seems to have collapsed into himself, his head bowed at he toys with the blanket in his lap.  

"Are you sure you'll be all right?"

"Yes, I just need to sort myself out."

I nod silently, understanding that perfectly.  He seems to be more collected now, but he still seems 'off'.  I feel tempted to call Yugi and let him know what's been going on so that he's ready and aware when Yami gets to him.  But that would be unfair.  It's not really any of my business, and I doubt that Yami would appreciate me relaying the events of tonight to Yugi.  No, I won't say anything.

It's silent all the way to the short drive to his home, and he lets himself out.  I stay where I am, waiting to see what he'll do.  He might find it too painful to be here and get back in the car. I'm not sure.

Instead, he unwinds the blanket from himself and opens the passenger door to hand it back to me.  I shake my head at him and put my hand over his proffered one.  I can't take it back.  I can't take back tonight.  I've helped him and he's going to damn well acknowledge that someone cares about him, and if keeping the blanket is going to help in that, then he's going to keep it.

"No, you keep it."

He acknowledges it, taking it back and I watch with satisfaction as he wraps it back around himself.  Smiling thinly, I realise that I feel a little better about leaving him now.

Reaching across and pulling the door shut, I slowly drive away from him but keep a constant watch on him as I leave.  He doesn't move, staying in exactly the same place until I can no longer see him at all.  Somehow, I know that when I circle the block in a few minutes, he won't be there and a light will be on in the house.

I might double back and check now actually.

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And now onto Chapter 2!


	2. Kaiba

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, and for once I have no witty anecdote to add to that sorry statement.

A/N: I was musing over the clichéd fics of this fandom earlier, how so many are sickeningly alike and how there seem to be a few 'staple plots' that most fics seem to stem from.  So I decided to take one of these overused plots and put it on its head.  I don't know how successful I was, but I got a fairly satisfying one-shot out of it so I shan't quibble.

**Kite**

Yugi's grandfather gave him a gift a week ago.  Whilst clearing out the attic, he came across his old kite, which he thought he'd lost when he was younger.  He gave it to Yugi who was touched by the sentiment.  It was red with a long green and yellow tail.

And he'd lost it.

A strong wind had snagged the delicate string from his hands and carried the thing halfway across Domino.  Deeply upset, he and the group had gone out to hunt it down but to no avail.  Grandpa wasn't overly happy and guilt combined with already wretched feelings meant that Yugi couldn't sleep tonight.

And that's where I come in.

I'm his guardian, his protector, I'm the one who comes charging in like a white knight to pull him out of fire and threat.  I do not run around after a *kite*.  But I am.  It's dark, cold, raining and I'm out looking for something the side of my Light's chest.

Fantastic.

I found it though.  It took me two hours and multiple 'that's it's, 'this is stupid' and 'I'm giving up's but I finally found it.  

The dratted wind had managed to sweep it beneath and up into the largest bridge in the city.  It was snagged neatly between some of the suspension girders on the side, an area that is proving very difficult to get at.

Standing on the edge of the bridge, the river roaring past a few dozen feet below me, I can't help but note how hard the wind is trying to force me to fall.  It's not a nice night.

I can't reach it though, not from here.  I'd need to climb out onto the girders.  I could shimmy across the lower one and reach up, but with the rain I probably wouldn't stay on it long.  But if I went on the higher one and reached down for it- no, I'd fall off even faster that way.

…This is so stupid.  

I can't leave it now that I've found it though.  Yugi would never forgive me.  It doesn't look very stable where it is either, so if I left it until the girders dried it would probably have been blown away.  I've got to figure out how to get it now.

It's not like falling into the river would kill me; it would hurt and probably knock me for six with pneumonia and possibly rabies from all the water rats, but I'd be all right.  There's still the memory of having a mortal coil though, so I'm not really willing to take a flying jump, grab the kite and drop thirty feet. 

I'd get it with Shadow Magic if I had the energy, but it hasn't been a good week and this pounding headache of mine probably wouldn't let me open the Shadow Realm let alone manipulate its power.  No, I'm stuck with physically grabbing it.

Hmm.  It's a short drop to that girder, so *if* I stayed on it and shimmied over there, I could then…  Damn, can't see that bit.

I step closer to the edge of the bridge and put a hand on vertical pole to keep myself steady.  That's better; I can see now.

So, shimmying over there, I could-

"Yami!"

Kaiba?  Oh brilliant, *just* the person I wanted to see.  

Glancing over my shoulder, I see that he's pulled his car alongside me in the road and is not stood a few feet from the base of the ledge I'm standing on, looking up at me.

I'm taller than him for once.  I quite like this.

Anyway, back to where I've mentally shimmied…

"Yami, what are you doing?" 

I pull a face, sighing in irritation before casting a tired glare over my shoulder.  I just want to get the bloody thing and go home, but I can't concentrate if he's stood there talking at me.

"Go away Kaiba," I instruct, my eyes returning to where the kite is still stuck.  

"No, not until you come down.  Why the hell are you doing this?" 

Left about a foot and then hold that rusty bolt…  Yes, that could work…  What did Kaiba say again?  Oh, why am I trying to get the kite.  That's right.

"I'm doing it for Yugi."  Hmm, so I can get underneath it but I still need to stand up at some point, so the nail's not going to be of any use then.  Damn.

"You don't need to!"

Gee, would I really be up here if I didn't feel I *needed* to?  "Yes, I do."  

"No, Yami– I… I don't understand why…  I-I want to help."

Unless he's got a lot of rope or possibly a helicopter, I doubt that he can.  Actually, Kaiba *does* have a helicopter, and likely rope…  No, it's too windy and the kite's too close to the bridge.  He could probably reach it better, but being bigger he'd be hard pressed to get between the girders.  No, I'm the best one for the job.

"You can't help me."  

I suppose I could use that nail.  It looks like something died and rotted on it though.  I can wash my hands later, but still…

"Let me try.  At least talk to me."

Ra, that nail looks icky.  I just thought 'icky', didn't I?  This is not a good night.  Okay, if I just get the stupid kite and go home now instead of trying to plan out my every step, I can have a nice hot shower and go to bed.

"Please Yami, I can't just leave you here." 

If he'd only shut up I could get this done quickly.  Great time to be a pain in my side, Kaiba, utterly fabulous.

"Go away Kaiba."

Hmm, it's just rusted.  Nothing wrong with that, not that I'm any more inclined to touch it.  Hang on; what the Hell's that?  Something comes up underneath the bridge, close to the girders I think.

I move a little to the side so that I'm pressed against the pole.  Leaning forward a little, I can see it better.  It's too dark though.  I might be able to figure out the shapes if I stare at it long enough.

"Yami, I know that…  well, we've never really gotten on."

When did he get up here?  And what's he doing so close to me?  If he touches me and makes me fall, I will not be pleased.  In fact, I'll make *him* get the stupid kite.

"It's just…"

He's touching me.  And now my balance is starting to go with his stupid fat hand on my shoulder.  I shrug it off before my already precarious balance vanishes completely.  My boots squeak a little on the metal underfoot.  

"I understand, how hard it can all be.  You've got Yugi to look after, a reputation to uphold and maniacs coming at you from all sides trying to take your title."

How perceptive of you.  Now sod off.  What's this got to do with the damn kite?  Or is he listing my already large list of grievances to put this one in perspective?  Yes, I know this is a stupid venture, Kaiba, I don't need you rubbing it in my face.

Hey.  There's a ladder down there!  

"But it's not worth your life."

There's a maintenance ladder leading right up to the girders!  I can't believe I never saw it!  I've been on this ledge freezing and getting talked out for absolutely no reason because there's a *ladder* leading right where I want to be!  This-it's-why…  *Damnit*.

"Please, just come down and I'll take you home."

Home?  Now?!  Just when I've discovered the ladder?  Not a chance.

"I'm not going home."

"Will you come down then?  Then we can talk about where you want to go."

Hmm.  I can't get to the ladder unless I go under the bridge, so I need to get to that field which…  Kaiba, would you move, you're blocking my view.  Fine, stare at me all you want.  I'll look around you.  Yes, the bridge leads to the field and then I just follow the slope down.  Perfect.

Releasing the pole, I step past Kaiba and drop off the ledge to stand on the footpath by his car.  He follows me, moving slowly in front of me before I can take a step in the direction I want to go in.

He gives me a funny look.  I frown at him.  His mouth pulls a little.  "Is there anywhere I can take you?"

Him giving me a ride?  Probably wants to knock me unconscious, take my deck and Puzzle and throw me off the bridge.  He would keep my deck as a trophy and sell the Puzzle to Pegasus.  Now wouldn't that be nice?  

I start to walk around him, my frozen hands going into my jacket pockets.  "I just need to get off this bridge."

Kaiba nods with an odd enthusiasm.  What's wrong with him?  Oh, there's a full moon.  That explains it.

A strong wind suddenly pulls at us both, his heavy coat whipping into my side irritatingly and I watch with horror as, just at the edge of my peripheral vision, the kite dislodges and goes soaring past.  If I can catch it when it lands, I'll be happy.

I break into a sprint.

Kaiba yells something, my name I think, and takes off after me.  Why is he so obsessed with me all of a sudden?  Actually, I think this is the longest we've been in each other presence without a challenge or a death threat being issued.  Creepy.  Progressive, but creepy.

Ah ha!  It's landed in the field.  But the wind's picking it up and scuttling it into the road…  And that truck just ran over it.  

I stop dead.

Little wooden splinters blossom up into the air and the tattered fabric flies in a thousand directions.  Yugi's going to be so upset.  Well, just even more upset than before since I never actually told him I was going out to look for the kite.  

Maybe I should just not say anything and let him believe that he lost it and some child found it and it's made them very happy.  Not mention that it's in lots of little pieces.  Yes, that sounds good.

Something heavy whacks into my back and I drop to the road.  It's Kaiba who, evidently, is terrible at stopping when he's running.  His knee's on the back of my thigh, pinching terribly at what feels like a very big nerve.  Wow, that hurts.  Dirt from the road has also billowed up into my eyes, making them sting and water, and to top it all off my entire lower half is lying in a puddle.  I am not happy right now.

He gets off slowly, a hand still on my back.  I can't sit up yet, not with my thigh throbbing this badly.  I bring up by hand to try and rub some of the dirt from my eyes with my sleeve.  I wince when I just shove more in, my sleeves being even dirtier than my eyes currently are.

The hand on my back starts moving in slow circles, something that I don't like.  I jerk, trying to get across the point that I don't approve of being touched by him, but end up wrenching my already painful leg horribly.  The sudden bolt of fire up my thigh is enough to make me yell.

I manage to writhe into a sitting position, my thigh cramping almost immediately, and then the hand suddenly comes around my chest and pulls me back into him.  Ra, what is going on?  

I try to stand but, again, my leg is against me.  Adding to the fact that I'm almost blind and merrily shivering from where I'm soaked to the skin, there's not a lot I can do to stop him.  He picks me up, something that I *do* shout at him for, but he ignores me.

He takes me to the car, easing me into the back and then fetching a blanket from the boot.  He wraps it around me while I try to get some of the grit out of my eyes and I nod a *tiny* thanks to him as he gets back into the driver's seat.  It's not like I can really walk home with my leg like this, so I might as well accept the ride being offered.

"Do you want me to take you back to mine?  We can talk, have something to eat?"

Just because you nearly broke my leg doesn't mean I'm going to do a slumber party with you.

"No, to Yugi's will be fine."

He nods and returns his gaze to the road.  Now that he's not looking at me through the mirror anymore, I start trying to dab up the excess moisture from the puddle in my trousers.  I'm too cold for comfort, but I refuse to strip even if I would be better off for it.  As it is the cold and the wet are making my skin burn.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?"

Why's he so concerned about some wet clothes and a bit of grit?  "Yes, I just need to sort myself out."

Another nod and then he doesn't speak again for the rest of the journey.  He stops at the back of the Game Shop at the end of the path leading into the house, twisting in his seat to watch me again.

Not looking at him, I slowly get out of the car.  Still encased in the blanket, I test my weight on my leg and am satisfied that the pain has settled a bit during the drive here.  I bend down and go to hand the blanket back to Kaiba.

He shakes his head and puts his hand on top of mine on the material.  I'm not going to speculate on that.  Not now at least…

"No, you keep it."

I have *never* heard him use that tone of voice before, not even with Mokuba, and Ra help me I hope to never hear it again.  That just sounded… Wrong.  Not eerie, not unusual: wrong.

I nod numbly, bringing my hand back to myself and pulling the blanket back around my body.  Kaiba gives me a small smile before pulling the door I had been leaning through shut, pulling away moments later.

Standing there, I watch him leave until his taillights disappear completely.  My eyes have cleared up a bit now, moisture no longer running in great streams down my cheeks.  They still hurt a bit though, and I'll probably need to rinse them over the sink before I get into the shower.

I finger the blanket thoughtfully, going over the events of tonight, Kaiba's strange behaviour, the death of Yugi and Grandpa's kite.

I can't help feeling I missed something.

****

Well, that was certainly one of my more unusual fics.  Thoughts?  Comments?  Did it fall flat on it's face?


End file.
